shadows of the woodland fall upon his path, and then emerges again into another prairie. 6. Where the plain is large, the forest outline is seen in the far perspective, like the dim shore when beheld at a distance from the ocean. The smaller prairies often resemble parks in which art has supplemented the work of nature. The eye sometimes roams over the green meadow without discovering a tree, a shrub, or any object in the immense expanse but the wilderness of grass and flowers; while at another time the prospect is enlivened by groves, which are seen interspersed like islands, or by a tree standing solitary in the blooming desert. 7. In the spring the ground is covered with a carpet of delicate green, intermingled with small and delicate flowers. In the summer it is covered with a long coarse grass which soon assumes a golden hue, and waves in the wind like a ripe harvest. Taller and more gaudy flowers now display their brilliant colours upon the green surface; and, still later, a larger and coarser succession rises with the rising tide of verdure. 8. In the winter the prairies present a gloomy and desolate appearance. The fire has passed over them, consuming every vegetable substance, and leaving the soil bare and the surface perfectly blank. That gracefully waving outline, so attractive to the eye when clad in green, is now disrobed of all its ornaments; its fragrance, its notes of joy, and the graces of its landscape have all vanished, while the bosom of the cold earth, scorched and discoloured, is alone visible. There is nothing to be seen but the cold dead earth, and the bare mounds which move not. LESSON LII. THE UNITED STATES. THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN STATES AND TERRITORIES. 1. The Rocky Mountains with their branches spread over the larger part of four of the Western States, together with portions of the States of the "Far West" ; and, as we have seen, many of the most important of the North American rivers, have their origin in this mountainous region. New Mexico consists of high level plateaux traversed by mountain ranges, between which are many broad fertile valleys, from which rise occasional peaks of great height. The Rocky Mountains, before leaving Colorado, divide into two ranges-the western of which is called Sierra Madre-and these ranges extend from north to south through New Mexico. East of the Rocky Mountains the land slopes gently down to the Mississippi river, whilst the south-east is occupied by a portion of the desolate "Staked Plain." * 2. Arizona-to the west of New Mexico-is noted, firstly, for the grand cañons through which flow the Colorado river and most of its tributaries; and, secondly, for its monuments of a pre-historic race. The terin cañon is a Spanish-American word, signifying a deep defile with high walls through which the rivers run Wherever there are cañons the country is sterile and utterly worthless, for the deep cuttings drain it to the utmost, the rivers lying buried, as it were, in the bowels of the earth. Five hundred miles from the mouth of the river is the "Great Cañon." Here the river winds like a white thread more than a mile below the surface of the surrounding country. At the greatest elevation the width of the chasm is from five to ten miles. The velocity of the current in this chasm is equal to that of a railway train running from forty to fifty miles an hour. 3. Arizona is a corruption of the old Aztec name, Arizuma, meaning, probably, the rocky country. The * So called because the route across is marked by stakes. Aztecs—or some other race of which we know nothing, either as to their origin, manner of life, religion, or politics-lived in this region thousands of years ago. They have left no history, but the relics of a civilisation which puzzles the antiquarian. "The débris and remains of broken pottery indicate a city which covered an area of about ten miles; but of all the houses which formed the city, but one remains. This seems to have been a citadel or granary, as it is situated near the centre of the town. It was built of mud pressed into moulds and dried in the sun, and was composed of many small apartments, none of them very high. Five rows of joists may still be counted, indicating five storeys; and, from the fact that they are all burnt off close to the wall, this house seems to have been destroyed by fire." The remains of the canal which supplied the city with water from the Gila river still exist. 4. Colorado is a comparatively new State. For some time past it has been looked upon as a kind of emigrants' paradise; consequently, its population has increased at a rapid rate, and the mining and agricultural resources of the State are being rapidly developed. 5. Wyoming and Montana are the northern of the Rocky Mountain States. The extraordinary region which has been named the "Wonderland" of America is situated in these two states. "Comprised in the territories of Montana and Wyoming there is a region which contains all the peculiarities of the continent in a remarkable degree; and which, moreover, is exceedingly interesting on account of its scenery, its geography, its mineralogy, and its sport. Although the altitudes are not so high as in other parts of the continent, it may be truthfully called the summit or apex of America. There the waters flow in all directions--north, south, east, and west. There it is that great rivers rise, running through every clime-from perpetual snow to tropical heat. On the one side glance the currents destined to mingle with the tepid waves of the Gulf of Mexico; on the other, up the rapids, leap the salmon, ascending from the distant waters of the Pacific Ocean. It is the geographical M centre of North America. It is essentially the "Great Divide." 6. The Rocky Mountain States and Territories are rich in minerals. The yield of gold in Montana is second only to that of California, and over a million pounds' worth of gold and silver are extracted every year from the mines of Colorado. Gold, silver, and copper, are plentiful in New Mexico, and Arizona is rich in silver mines. The 7. It is in the wild region of "Wonderland" that the United States Government have set aside an extensive tract as a "national park,” and, looking forward to the time when the country will be more densely populated than now, have reserved it from settlement. "park" comprises an area of 3,578 square miles. general elevation is about 6,000 feet above the sea level, while the wall of mountains which surrounds it on every side attains a height of from 10,000 to 12,000 feet. Its 8. The scenery in this "park" is not so magnificent as that of the Yosemite Valley, but it does not depend for its attractions on scenery alone. The remains of volcanic activity in this basin-boiling springs, geysers, and mud volcanoes-are among the most remarkable in the world. LESSON LIII. THE UNITED STATES.—THE FAR WEST-THE PACIFIC STATES. 1. The region called the "Far West" consists of an elevated plateau, extending through 15° of latitude, and having a varying breadth of from 600 to 1,000 miles. This table-land is supported on the east by the great chain of the Rocky Mountains, and on the west by Sierra Nevada and the Cascade ranges. In its middle and broadest part it includes the States of Nevada, Utah, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming, and has an area of about 250,000 square miles, and an elevation of from 4,000 to *Lord Dunraven. |